What's Up, Up Here? News and gossip from Mammoth, July 15-21

July 15, 2011

OMG the End of the World is at hand: They're re-paving and re-striping the Minaret Village Mall (including Vons!) just in time for Jazz Jubilee. You don't want one of those folks weaving around the parking lot, without stripes, that's for sure. ...

Reinforcing the End of the World concept is that Public Works is doing its duty on Minaret Boulevard, fixing this, smoothing that, and praying that it will hold up for another year. Good luck with that, we say. ...

More road news, as if you haven't had enough. Public Works Director Ray Jarvis says the rebuilding of S.R. 203 (Main Street) will begin Aug. 2, making our summer visitors thrilled, no doubt. It's only the biggest month of the summer. But if not then, when? ...

Back at Blazing Shears is Judy Olson, and that's big news among the follicular set. Also news is that Blazing Shears is back! ...

Town Councilman and real estate broker Matt Lehman informs us that a new running-specific â€š"activists centerâ€š" will open at the old Volcano Sports space on Monday. It's all about Nike, in case you were wondering. ...

Will it be a good year for Jazz Jubilee or not? VonsMan says store employees are sensing a slowdown from years past, but we'll see. You know L.A. Late-arriving crowds are still cool. ...

That was a nice cookout lunch for the JJ volunteers this past week, and the potato salad was top-drawer. ...

We are very truly sorry to hear from councilman and restaurateur Skip Harvey that his throat cancer has spread, and that he'll be seeking treatment in Los Angeles soon, possibly starting next week. ...

All our wildlife attention is on bears (naturally), but Wildlife Specialist Steve Searles says the local coyotes have the run of the woods right now. Careful with the pooches, especially the small ones. ...

The Bear Whisperer says there are so many wildlife deaths with traffic collisions lately that "my truck is like a morgue right now." He says he himself disposes of the corpses in "secret spots instead of using the landfill. "I do it so that they can return to the soil." ...

Big-time Time Trial yesterday from the Fast Folks at the Eastside Velo Club on the Benton Crossing Road, Brown's Town to Watterson Summit. If you've seen the Tour de France these past coupla weeks, you know what a grueling, fun thing this is. Add in altitude and we'd say it's one of the toughest events of the summer. ...

Will miracles never cease? The state Department of Fish and Game, a regular no-show at the Town Council's Wildlife Committee meetings, showed up this past week in the person of Bill Daley, whose take on wildlife-people confrontations is, "Nothing shocks me with wildlife and nothing shocks me with people." ...

Just for the heck of it: Does everyone know that the California Highway Patrol has to account for every single round fired? ...

Top Cop Dan Watson wants to know: "If a bear eats the fish you already caught, have you still reached your limit?" ...

Not that it's s a make or break, but the Gilroy Garlic Festival folks say if they have to break down their food vendor tents every single night, they may not come to Mammoth this year (see p. 8) ...

Scientist extraordinaire Dan Dawson says he has 15 projects cooking at the Sierra Nevada Research Center (SNARL) this summer, and the action at the Valentine Reserve is just as hot, a lot of cleaning up downed trees from the Big Winter. ...

Big doings in the Mammoth Mountain Adventure Center this summer with the installation of a zip line for adults. It will be a "zip line tourâ€š" through the tree canopy that sits behind the Mammoth Mountain Inn. Fun. ...

Mammoth's Tom Cage didn't hold back on opinions or predictions. Known for his accurate prediction of the coming winter, he said this coming winter will be one of the "earliest on recordâ€š" and that it will start snowing by early October. This is one time we sincerely hope you are so very wrong, Tom. ...

County Supervisor Hap â€š"Duaneâ€š" Hazard surely has had a lot of fun over his life with his name. Now, he's got his eye on a sign he saw down in Southern California at a traffic problem area. What does it say? "Hazard Streetâ€š" of course.